Destruction Facility

[Nikamir]

Map inspired by Romero's hair. Ma hair is as long as his, but it doesn't have such charisma.

PAR time: 15-30 min
Speedrun: 4:32 min

Features:
- No wall-humping secrets (!)
- Plenty enough secrets (find them all if you can)

- No crouch

- No jump
- Freelook optional 

- Single map

- Single player
: (no plasma, no BFG, no boss, no damaging floors)

 

Screenshots

Spoiler

Format BOOM
Made with Slade3 - DOOM2

Tested in PrBoom+ and GZDOOM

Nodes generated by ZDBSP

Download (166 Kb): https://1drv.ms/u/s!ArJqO35mii2Ok8xa1JOUjqKKSh31DA?e=YCUXeP

Enjoy! And give me your feedback 🙏
 

[rita remton]

5 hours ago, Nikamir said:

- No wall-humping secrets (!)

 

ok, this hooked me. downloading :)

[Helm]

Hello Nikamir!

Quite enjoyed your map. Thank you for posting it. I did a little run through in UV with saves (rewinds only for me trying dumb platforming stuff), 2 deaths, I think. Here's the feedback. 

. I actually like iwad music for this? You did a great job making a map that works with the ancient midi. Understated and discrete, good music for the tiptoeing around.

. It starts off pretty dark and given that a comedy of errors ensues (moving forward triggers more traps and enemies, which worked well) I think tiring my 40 yr old eyes isn't the best way to get difficulty out of doom in 2024. I pushed gamma twice instead.

. Very close to death after the rough start but health packs at the right places mean that even though this map is of the devious type, affordances are made for recovery. I appreciate it.

. Did not find the SSG in my run which made this a quite technical map and probably slowed it down too, I don't mind single barreling down an archvile or two, it's the patrician choice after all but I wonder how much the experience changes towards the easier with the SSG. I guess that's why I don't like SSG secrets that much, they add to longevity and replayability once but they make for a bit of a drastically different difficulty experience I tend to think.

. All the parkour secrets are well made, spottable and fun to uncover. You have a real voice with your level design, without needing fancy doomcute or overwhelming sights to get there. 

. The caco cloud plus souls was a fun encounter in contrast with the rolling encounter with low tier in the beginning.

. The first av encounter in the room with the windows is where I died the first time. I have to say these kinds of encounters communicate things to the player that I obviously understand (as I said, this map falls in the devious category even though it's not too many monsters and not too much high tier monsters as well!) but it sets my mind to work thinking if the communication's worth the first death. The key is clearly boobytrapped and you're supposed to have a movement challenge of running out of the room without getting body blocked by av quarterback... it's half a second to formulate a plan of retreat... I don't know, I don't generally like encounters like these even though they're completely in line with the tricksy feel of the map. Now, if I could defenestrate myself through those windows next to the key and go around, perhaps then you've got a more exciting twitch solution to surprise av. If this trivializes the ecounter, it's all about aftering the layout to get the distances right. With surprise AV while holding a shotgun these miliseconds matter. 

. I don't know why I lost so much time time trying to find a pretty blatant red teleporter in the Block O' Destruction part but don't take it to mean the map is confusing, I think that was on me.

. Nonetheless some really good twitchy gameplay in your Block O' Destruction that you've put there. Lost another life to a rev rocket I think?

. You hear that AV breathe and moan in there and even spot their arms so much, when you finally reveal it it's just a preemptive rocket launcher victim. Put like, 3 viles in there and more rockets  strategically peppered around perhaps. But could they get anywhere interesting anyway? could they revive anything? There's so much cover I am not sure you're getting the bang for your buck in this layout with at late av reveal. I am being nitpicky because I can really tell you love mapping and have considered many minute details in your map about how it'd play and I think the second av reveal is a bit weak? 

. Even while I'm hunting for that red teleporter pad and I roam around and backtrack, I always find something extra in a nook, like a nice backpack. Perhaps the soulsphere is a bit too much though. That's a good way to make up for any confusions if gradually you feel you're getting more of a mastery of the space and the opportunities presented.

. Yellow key series of switches is kind of funny? reminds of some older stuff. Sometimes compounding switch press sequences that you make people go through is the slightest sense of humour that a tricksy map can definitely benefit from.

. Really cool arachno encounter, actually. Getting a lot of mileage out of an elegant setup.

All in all: very enjoyable, kinda-tough map on first blind playthrough, I hope you map more! Thank you again for putting the results of your creativity up for people to enjoy.

footage: 

.

[Zesiir]

I really enjoyed this map. Not the usual hectic tempo, but a slow burn that lasted all the way to the end.

 

A perfect example of how it's possible to make a map have good gameplay and flow even if you are just given a Shotgun and Chaingun.

The Archviles acted as mini-bosses that you had to defeat to progress, and combat felt satisfying even if enemy encounters were not

as heavy as your other works.

 

I saw the Romero influences, and they were decently made. Nice work.

[MisterLivers]

No glitches to be found which is excellent! I really enjoyed how fun and puzzling this map can be at times. on UV, it's difficulty isn't too bad. I had a rough start with getting confused by the lowering platforms and then the shotgunners shooting at me from all sides, once I got the health packs It was quite easy for the rest of the level. I loved the architecture of this level, it felt like the Sandy Petersen's level design mixed with Knee Deep in the Dead, good job!



EDIT: The monster placement was very good, I like the mix of Chaingunner's, Archvile's, Shotgunner's, Imp's and Arachnotron's

Edited May 1 by MisterLivers

[Napeyear]

Fun level that was reminiscent of a Doom 2 IWAD map (but in a good way!). I killed 115/117 monsters, and found 7/10 secrets on UV. The exploration was really well done, and the restriction of avoiding 'wallhump' secrets made the secrets more interesting to find. As others already said, the level was really nicely designed and didn't need a ton of monsters and massive brawls in order to be challenging engaging. The decision to put the SSG and rocket launcher in secrets was a neat design choice too, but playing with the shotgun and chaingun wasn't a drag or repetitive either as you did a good job spacing out the different tiers of monsters throughout the level. The amount of lifts throughout the level was cool too and you did a good job with vertical combat as well. Overall a really good effort!

 

Demo link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cxMR25XuEx5tivnRzNMen7yIPcAxb4zH/view?usp=sharing

 

My full comments below (as included in the zip file)
 

Spoiler

IWAD: Doom 2
PWAD: Destruction Facility
Map: 1
Author: Nikamir        

 

DEMO NOTES:
Player: Napeyear
Skill: 4 (Ultra-Violence)
Exe: dsda-doom (Boom)
Time: 19:37

 

Comments: Nice Romero inspired Doom 2 map that reminds me of something you'd find in the original Doom 2 IWAD (but much better). One thing I liked about this map was the focus being more on exploration and navigating the map by way of lifts throughout the majority of the runtime. There were plenty of secrets too which was nice! I found only 7/10 secrets and the majority of my runtime was spent looking for those last 3 that I missed. You mentioned that they weren't wallhump secrets, so I applaud you for you creativity, avoiding a mapping trope that is as old as Doom itself. This design choice made the secret hunting more fun for me, as I was diving off of ledges and activating lifts to try and reveal secrets that I missed or walked right by.

 

Gameplay was pretty good despite the SSG and rocket launcher being locked behind secrets (both of which I found in my UV demo), and I think that you mixed up the monster variety really well too. Most of the combat focused around shotgunning and chaingunning everything, but it didn't drag on at all, since the higher tier monsters were mostly isolated or accompanied by fodder like imps and hitscanners. Revenants in alcoves in the distance in the main hub area, the first and second archvile fight, and the arachnotrons at the end were good examples of this (wasn't a huge fan of how much space they took up in the final room as it was hard to to navigate and dodge their fire, but the idea was good enough for me to praise it). By making the higher tier monsters more spaced out, it gives the level good pacing especially when the better weapons are restricted and ammo for them is more tight.

 

The platforming/lift sequence with the yellow keycard was pretty cool too, though I was confused for a minute or so when I first got to that area. I didn't notice the ledge that has the SW1GARG texture on it so it took me a little longer to figure out the """"puzzle""" if you really wanted to call it that. Overall, this was a really well done level! Some texture alignment issues were present and detailing was rather basic in some spots, but since it more Doom 2 and Romero influenced I don't think I can knock you too much for that, as the gameplay and exploration really shined in this map. It was a nice challenge as well! On UV most of my deaths were in the first room with the lifts (those shotgunners must have had aimbot or something, I was getting smoked as soon as they saw me) and the archvile fight with the blue key.

 

I give it an 8/10, it really nails the whole old school WAD vibe that many people try and miss the mark with, since some IWAD influenced levels tend to have bad movement, monster placement, repetitive gameplay, and ugly visuals, which your level was the complete opposite. Nice job Nikamir!

 

 

Edited May 1 by Napeyear

[LadyMistDragon]

Was basically out of time so I could not look for the (presumably hidden) SSG. I liked the concept here all the same.

 

 

 

[rita remton]

hi! my take on this wad:

good points:

• no need to hump walls, enabling me to find 5/10 secrets :D
• clever use of moving floors and monster placements.
• love how some pathways loop back or interweave with one another.
• the only locked in area for battles is the final battle area. this allows for a more open map design (the player could retreat etc) and nice unplanned battles.
• there are no symmetrical arenas.
• i like the alcove turrets with traps (pinkies) in them. a unique feature, to me at least :)

umm...

• too many lifts with tight timers, to a point it felt a bit tedious.
• the switch in the yellow key area, compulsory for map progression, should not be hidden. missing the jump to that switch or the timing to get to other lifts mean the player has to repeat the entire sequence from start to activate switches to lower then chase the lifts.
• could not backtrack to previously visited areas after entering the final battle zone before the level exit.
• even at the level exit, i could not achieve 100% monster kills. after giving myself an automap, i found the chaingunner at [x=361,y=873] still in its monster closet, the room never opened since i only used the stairs nearby and not jump down the ledge.

that's all. overall a very solid map. i like it. thanks for making and sharing it :)

Edited May 2 by rita remton
added a good point i forgot earlier

[Delisk]

 

[Nikamir]

Huge respect to @Helm @Napeyear and @rita remton for your excellent and informative reviews, I really appreciate it!
Also many thanks to @Zesiir @MisterLivers @LadyMistDragon and @Delisk for never standing aside and being active in the community!

Q&A:

On 5/1/2024 at 4:54 PM, Helm said:

. The caco cloud plus souls was a fun encounter in contrast with the rolling encounter with low tier in the beginning.

I think here I certainly overdid it and got a bit of a door problem.
 

On 5/1/2024 at 4:54 PM, Helm said:

Now, if I could defenestrate myself through those windows next to the key and go around, perhaps then you've got a more exciting twitch solution to surprise av.

This was the original intention, but I subsequently revised the design as I felt it was a bit off

 

On 5/1/2024 at 4:54 PM, Helm said:

I think the second av reveal is a bit weak? 

Totally agree with you. The second AV wasn't originally intended, then I thought about putting a cyberdemon in there, but I thought that was even sillier.
 

On 5/1/2024 at 4:54 PM, Helm said:

Perhaps the soulsphere is a bit too much though.

Not at all, it's just for those who haven't figured out how to get a megasphere, for example, as shown in Delisk's walkthrough.
 

On 5/2/2024 at 3:54 PM, rita remton said:

the switch in the yellow key area, compulsory for map progression, should not be hidden. missing the jump to that switch or the timing to get to other lifts mean the player has to repeat the entire sequence from start to activate switches to lower then chase the lifts.

I don't see the point of creating a map that objectively leads you just by the hand. Doom isn't just gun and run in some cases (poDOOMay).

[rita remton]

2 hours ago, Nikamir said:

I don't see the point of creating a map that objectively leads you just by the hand. Doom isn't just gun and run in some cases (poDOOMay).

 

sorry, but i don't get the reference of [podoomay] even after googling it. anyway, the above is just my personal opinion. imo, a map with good map flow guides the player to its objectives using its layout and not the automap, unless that map is non-linear/open-world. by obscuring/hiding objectives compulsory for map progression is as if like making secret areas mandatory to be found, which afaik is a no-no in map design. but then again, i literally know nothing and a nobody anyway. so, good luck to you :)

[Helm]

On 5/6/2024 at 5:10 PM, Nikamir said:

 

I think here I certainly overdid it and got a bit of a door problem.

Eh, more of a hallway problem there not even a real door to keep opening and closing on them. I think tactical retreat to a nice corner to funnel enemies is part of the fun of the fact that doom is a 3d game where you can backtrack at will. I actually liked the 2 braincells activating making me go 'ok... retreat a little, too many cacos too many souls, find a nice funnel'. If you want to solve this permanently still, just lock me in just in front of where I camped in my video and put a switch to open the dropped door behind me permanently somewhere in a difficult to reach place in the caco plus souls arena. But as I said I do not consider this a door fight personally, I think you good. It's more about that second AV fight being something more I think. And the last fight is a true lock in (jump in, so it's telegraphed) with the staggered arachnos which is hard enough with just a single barrel.